At Policygenius, we use several factors — including third-party rating groups — to determine our best life insurance company recommendations. Moody’s Investors Service was founded in 1909 and provides ratings and reviews of Insurance Financial Strength — the ability of insurance carriers to pay claims.
Here’s how Moody’s ratings work and how you can use them to help choose your life insurance provider.
Key takeaways
Moody’s rates companies’ financial strength based on their ability to repay short and long-term debts.
Short-term ratings range from P-1 to NP (best to worst) and Aaa to C for long-term ratings.
Policygenius uses Moody’s ratings to inform our editorially independent reviews of life insurance companies.
What does Moody’s do and why do its ratings matter?
Along with Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Group, Moody’s is among the largest credit ratings agencies in the world, and a respected source for analysis of the financial strength of banks, money markets, bond funds, and insurance companies. The U.S. government also uses it for regulatory purposes.
Moody’s ratings help investors — and anyone trusting a life insurer with their family’s financial protection — judge the stability and creditworthiness of financial institutions.
Why is a Moody’s rating important for life insurance companies?
Once you’ve determined the type of life insurance policy you need and compared premiums, it can still be difficult to decide which company is best for you.
That's why you should also look at the financial stability of a life insurance carrier, to ensure that your family will receive a death benefit after you’re gone.
Moody’s rates carriers according to a detailed "creditworthiness scale." Basically, that means it weighs the outstanding debts and other financial risks of national life insurance companies.
Knowing a company’s Moody’s ratings, along with other third-party credit ratings, can help you confirm an insurer’s financial reliability — and that can help you decide what carrier to choose.
How does Moody’s rating scale work?
Moody’s uses a multi-pronged rating system to determine a carrier's financial strength.
The ratings process includes four steps: [1]
The insurance company applies for a rating and Moody’s assigns an analytical team to the insurer.
The life company’s management presents the insurer's information to Moody’s analytical team.
The analytical team submits its proposed rating to a committee for a review and approval vote to ensure integrity and consistency.
The rating is shared with the life insurance company and in a press release issued by Moody’s.
The ratings review accounts for an insurance company's short- and long-term financial risk.
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Moody’s short-term rating scale
Moody’s short-term ratings are based on an insurance company’s ability to repay short-term debt obligations. Moody’s defines "short-term debts" as obligations due for repayment in under one year.
Moody's designation | Ability to repay short-term debts | |
|---|---|---|
P-1 | Prime-1: superior | |
P-2 | Prime-2: strong | |
P-3 | Prime-3: acceptable | |
NP | Not Prime |
Source: Moody’s Rating Scale and Definitions.
Moody’s long-term rating scale
Moody’s long-term ratings are based on an insurance company’s credit risk of fixed-income obligations. These ratings reflect the possibility that a life insurance benefit payout may or may not be honored as promised.
Moody's designation | Ability to repay long-term obligations | |
|---|---|---|
Aaa | Highest quality, minimal risk | |
Aa | High quality, very low credit risk | |
A | Upper-medium-grade, subject to low credit risk | |
Baa | Medium-grade, moderate credit risk, may possess speculative elements | |
Ba | Substantial credit risk, with speculative elements | |
B | High credit risk, considered speculative | |
Caa | Very high credit risk, poor standing | |
Ca | In or very near default, highly speculative, some prospect of recovery in principal and interest | |
C | Typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal and interest |
Source: Moody’s Rating Scale and Definitions.
Long-term ratings may come with a 1, 2, or 3 added to the letter rating, which indicates how highly within its letter category a company ranks. A company rated Baa1 is less risky than one rated Baa3.
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How Policygenius uses Moody’s ratings
Policygenius takes a comprehensive approach to determine the best life insurance companies available. We don't get paid for reviews and evaluate an extensive rubric of criteria to come up with robust, unbiased reviews to match you with the right life insurance carrier.
Moody’s ratings factor into our Financial Confidence category: consumer confidence based on scores from major financial rating institutions. We normalize ratings from Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s, and A.M. Best, to give companies a score out of 10.
To learn more, you can compare our life insurance company reviews or read our complete ratings methodology.
Frequently asked questions
What is Moody’s ratings scale?
Moody’s ratings scale for life insurance companies ranges from P-1 to NP (best to worst) for short-term debts and Aaa to C for long-term debts.
How does Moody’s set its ratings?
An analytical team assesses a company’s creditworthiness and assigns a rating, which is approved by a review committee to ensure integrity and consistency across ratings.
How can a Moody’s rating help me choose a life insurance company?
Moody’s ratings indicate how much you can trust a company to pay its debts — like the payout on your life insurance policy. Choosing a financially stable insurer can provide peace of mind that your family will receive the financial protection you paid for.
